The industry is facing big changes in the next decade. As Sony and Microsoft unveiled and released their next generation of consoles already in 2020, a cloud of uncertainty looms over the gaming industry. The question arises, will special systems be needed to play, for example, in 2030? Let’s find out!
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The cloud is coming
The popularity of streaming and cloud services will not necessarily supplant gaming consoles. First of all, these are systems created specifically for running games on a big screen at your home.
“Likely, consoles will still carve up a niche for hardcore [gamers] who want performance and the highest graphics settings,” said Michael Pachter analysts at Wedbush Securities. So even 10 years from now, we may still be buying new versions of PS, Nintendo or Xbox consoles.
Analysts believe that all sales are already moving to the on-demand system, that is, the industry is giving more and more preference to “digital” games. For example, Microsoft has already released an Xbox Series S without a disc drive (games can only be downloaded) and is also testing the new Project dedicated to game streaming service named xCloud.
Parter notes that the console market has declined by about a third in sales of each generation. At the same time, by 2030, the gaming market will grow 10 times, and games will be sold 2 times more. Such a figure is generated by mobile games and players who prefer to play on the go.
Over the past five years, the demand for browser-based mobile games has also grown, mainly in gambling such as Blackjack, Poker, Roulette, and online slots. This is evidenced by the emergence of a huge number of online gambling and casino resources. As an example, you can take a look at the best mobile gambling site with casino games here – https://www.casinonic.com/en-AU/games/top.
Digital copies are replacing boxes
In 2013, the total sales of physical copies of games amounted to $ 6.3 billion, digital versions were sold much more modestly – at $ 4.7 billion. In 2016, there was a coup. Online game sales reached $ 6.8 billion and physical copies reached for $ 5.7 billion. The difference is predicted to continue to widen and by 2022 over-the-air purchases will exceed $ 11 billion, while visits to the game store will bring in only $ 2.8 billion (according to reports of PricewaterhouseCoopers).
The games themselves also drive change. For example, Fortnite, released in 2017, is available completely free of charge. But the game helped Epic Games earn $ 2.4 billion in 2018 through in-app purchases and around 1.8 billion in 2019. The same situation is seen in the field of casino games. People begin to gamble for free, which later translates into paying for services and real money bets. All this generates profit for browser-mobile games, exactly like popular F2P games (according to one of the best online casino site).
On-Demand Stream-Gaming Services
Streaming services for music and video content, have gained immense popularity in recent years. There are already Xbox Game Pass and Sony PS Now, which give access to a library of games for a monthly fee. Google launched the Stadia cloud service in November. Apple launched Arcade. Hardware and software developers are already moving towards full-fledged platforms available by subscription. By 2030 most of the media entertainment will move to on-demand streaming and similar services.
A multifaceted future
Representatives of both Sony and Microsoft so far have refused to make accurate predictions about future generations of their consoles, which should be expected earlier than the second half of the 2020s. It is not yet known what level the hardware used in consoles and computers will reach.
At the same time, Sony admits that the PlayStation has already gone beyond hardware and also includes services, community, and content. One day, familiar consoles may evolve into something new, but so far no one in the industry can give an unambiguous answer on this score.